Fireplace mantles located in front of in-wall fireplaces come in all shapes and sizes and are quite decorative. Mantels are either custom made or they are massed produced and come in component pieces that are assembled and put in place in front of the in-wall fireplace. Mantels may be made of stone, wood or simulated materials. With respect to modular mantels it has been known to use brackets or an adhesive to assemble and install the components of the mantel on the wall. The components generally comprise a hearth extension, a face plate, support legs, an under mantel, and a top mantel.
Difficulties in assembling and installing the mantel include leveling the mantel and having the entire mantel structure held flush to the wall. This is often done with an adhesive, and because of the heavy weight of the mantel members and the time of the drying of the adhesive, the installation has been a difficult and demanding job.
A conventional bracket for installation of a modular fireplace is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,796,088, particularly FIGS. 9-10A which show a flat bracket through which screws and bolts are driven. The mantel is attached to the wall by the use of an elongated cleat 168 which is secured to the wall by screws or bolts. In addition, fasteners are used to anchor components 170, 172 to the floor of the room in order to secure the mantel to the floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,424,789 shows another bracket system for installing a modular fireplace mantel. The bracket described in this patent is C-shaped with number of planer extensions which are set at predetermined angles to one another. The systems shown in both of the patents discussed above are quite complex and difficult for a non-professional to accomplish.